Muscogee-Jones-Harris County GaArchives Biographies.....Blandford, Mark Hardin 1826 - 1902
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 October 31, 2004, 11:34 pm
Author: William Harden
p. 1033-1034
HON. MARK HARDIN BLANDFORD. A former justice of the supreme court of Georgia,
a veteran of two wars, and a member of the Confederate congress, the late Mark
Hardin Blandford, who died January 31, 1902, was one of the most eminent men of
south Georgia.
He was born in Jones county, Georgia, July 13, 1826, being in his
seventy-sixth year at the time of his death. His father was Clark Blandford, and
his grandfather was also named Clark Blandford. The grandfather was a native of
England and came to America in young manhood, during the colonial era, and was
married in this country. At the breaking out of the Revolutionary war he
returned to England, where he owned some property and was never heard of again
by any of his family or friends. He left a wife and three children in America.
These children were Clarke, Champion and Polly. Polly married a Mr. Hardison of
Florida. Champion died unmarried.
Clarke Blandford, the father, moved from Trenton, New Jersey, to Georgia, and
for a time lived in Warrenton, Jones county, and from there came to Harris
county, where he served as one of the first clerks of the court. The maiden name
of his wife was Nancy Hardin, who belonged to the Hardin family of Kentucky. The
three children of the parents were named Francis, Mark Hardin and Carrie.
The late Judge Blandford attended school in Pennfield, known as Murphy
University of Georgia. He was less than twenty years of age when the war with
Mexico was declared, and without the knowledge of his parents he slipped away
and enlisted in Captain Scott's Company, going into Mexico with that command and
serving with the company in all its various marches and battles until the war
was over. Returning home a veteran of this conflict, he took up the study of law
in the office of Col. Hardeman of Macon, and was admitted to the bar by special
act of the legislature.
He began practice at Tazewell, which was then the capital of Marion county.
He rose to distinction in the law, and after a few years his practice was again
interrupted by war. With the outbreak of the war between the states, he raised a
company for the Confederate service, and this company took the name of the Buena
Vista Guards, and was attached to the Twelfth Georgia Regiment. He went to the
front in command of this company, and was severely wounded and lost his right
arm at McDower in the Allegheny mountains. Thus being disabled for further
active service as a soldier, he returned home and was soon afterwards elected to
the Confederate congress, defeating Col. Hines Holt. He continued in the
Confederate congress until its dissolution at the close of the war, and then
resumed the practice of law in Columbus, Georgia. In 1869 he formed a
partnership with B. H. Thornton. This firm was dissolved later, and he was
associated with Lewis Garrard, under the firm name of Blandford & Garrard.
In 1874 Mr. Blandford was elected associate justice of the supreme court of
Georgia to fill an unexpired term, and at the next regular election was chosen
for the full term. He served as associate justice for ten years, making an
admirable record as judge of the highest court of the state, and on leaving the
bench returned to Columbus, and formed a partnership for practice with Thomas W.
Grimes. He continued in that association and in active practice until his death
on January 31, 1902.
Judge Blandford married Sarah Daniels, daughter of John Daniels, of Talbot
county, Georgia. They were the parents of eight children, three of whom survived
their father, namely: Robert Hall, since deceased; John W. and Lucy Mary, who
now occupy the old homestead near Columbus.
Additional Comments:
From:
A HISTORY OF SAVANNAH AND SOUTH GEORGIA
BY
WILLIAM HARDEN
VOLUME II
ILLUSTRATED
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
CHICAGO AND NEW YORK
1913
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